Natsumi and the Emerald Seed
by Eternal Longing
Summary: “What one promises does not always come true. What one hopes for does not always work out. Tell me what matters more, the wish or the reasons behind it.
1. Part I

**Disclaimer:**Natsumi Murakami andassociated characters of Mahou Sensei Negima are the property of Ken Akamatsu. Koremitsu is the property of fellow author Serac, creator of The Dreamer and Life in a Bottle hosted by FF.

- Eternal Longing

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Runaldi, Secretary of the Script, Being of the Ascended Chair, tapped her slim, crystalline fingers on a desk made of glass.

Her eyes of pure white stared intensely at the only other object in the otherwise empty room of white floor, white walls, and even whiter ceiling.

The clock was of a design from the world 11156032, oddly fitting considering the nature of the reason behind her patient waiting. The tenth hand struck the hundredth mark and ended its rotation with a click.

"It's time," Runaldi announced to the emptiness around her desk.

With a rush of sound as if the Being of the Ascended Chair was not motionless in her ten-legged chair carved of wood from the world 300023, the white floor, white wall, and white ceiling disappeared leaving a single square of light in its place. Everything disappeared, the glass desk, the ten-legged chair, everything except for Runaldi.

Silently, she floated in the absence of anything but thought and consciousness, staring intently at the square of light which slowly faded into something called a 'window' from world archetype 78211.

Within, a young boy sat upon nothingness, lounging as if he was not in danger of being devoured by the void.

Runaldi never did understand why the weak mortal hadn't just been dealt with in a more… physical way, but it wasn't her place to judge the Masterpiece of Heaven and Hell.

Like all the times before, he looked up as if he knew he was being watched, and said:

"**What one promises does not always come true. What one hopes for does not always work out. Tell me what matters more, the wish or the reasons behind it?"**

**Natsumi and the Emerald Seed**

"Natsumi-chan, are you done with the dishes yet?"

"Almost!"

Natsumi sighed as she worked diligently through the evenings dirty dishes and silverware. With a sponge, she slathered soap onto the plates, rinsed them thoroughly in the sink, and stacked them neatly on the side.

"I'm going out to find Ayaka-chan and Kotaro-kun. I'll be back later, will you be all right?"

"I'll be fine."

She hummed as she worked. It added a nice contrast to the monotony of dish-washing and almost drowned out the faucet's dim roar.

As she turned to stack another plate onto the growing pile, a gleam caught her eye. At first, she ignored it, but as it became more persistent, Natsumi dried her hands on a dish rag and started looking around. Soon, she had forgotten all about washing the dishes.

"From the window?" she asked the air.

Pressing her face against the kitchen window, she stared out into the night. Under a silver crescent, a sea of trees spread out into the horizon. With all the trees blocking her view, it took Natsumi several minutes to locate the tiny flash of light, and she only found it by chance: a small golden light covered by the boughs of two trees.

Natsumi glanced at the pile of half-washed dishes.

I won't take that long, she thought and then, without further thought, took her keys, opened the door into the dormitory'shallway, and closed it behind her.

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A cold wind blew outside, one which urged the trees to sway in a slow kind of dance, left, right, left, right.

Above, the sky became a portrait where twinkling lights shone through an endless sheet of dark blue.

Natsumi shivered as she walked through the forest, but not just from the cold: the night was deathly quiet.

"It was around here somewhere," she whispered aloud to fill up the emptiness. No sound answered her. Almost as an afterthought, she added, "I knew I should have brought my jacket…"

Her regret was soon forgotten however, when she ducked under a low-hanging branch. A bright light caught her off guard and she lifted a hand to shield her eyes, but though it helped to block the harsh glow, her hand also blocked her view.

With a cry of dismay, Natsumi tripped over a large root, waving her arms frantically in an attempt to regain her balance, but all she managed to do was to fall onto her back instead of her face.

By the time she pulled herself up into a sitting position, the light had gone, as quickly as it had come.

Natsumi warily got up. When nothing happened, she looked around, and there, on the ground, was a small golden object. Bending closer, she saw that it had the shape of a small oval, almost like a bean and, when she looked even closer, she found that it was in fact a bean, albeit a golden one.

Hesitantly, she reached down for it.

As her fingers touched the golden surface, another bright flash of light exploded into her eyes to her cry of surprise. Blinded, Natsumi lost her balance and fell onto her back yet again.

A crack split the air and she yelped again, this time in fright. Instinctually, she covered her head with her arms, hoping against all hope that it would be enough to protect her.

It didn't seem like her hope would turn into reality when a loud crash hit her ears and something cold pierced her. Natsumi stiffened involuntarily, tensing as if all the warmth of her body had been drained away by a needle.

"Help… somebody, help…" she whimpered, but only the silence answered her, and nothing happened.

Natsumi lay there in the complete quiet, shivering. Slowly, slowly, the warmth returned to her body. With warmth came a sort of courage that came from a well deep within that she hadn't even known existed.

So… slowly, slowly, Natsumi opened her eyes.

What she saw shook her to the core. On the ground a boy with hair that blended in with the long shadows of the moonlit trees lay sprawled, unmoving. Despite the strangeness of finding a boy in the middle of a forest, Natsumi's attention was completely focused on something else.

Behind the fallen boy existed something that broke all the rules of reality. A rift, a crack, hung quietly in the air. Within, there was nothing but darkness, nothing but a cold empty void.

A low groan came from the boy, but Natsumi did not hear it. The world disappeared.

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"Hey… Freckles, wake up. This is no place to fall asleep, what with all the people roaming around at night. Trust me when I tell you that you don't want to meet one of the more unsavory types of that lot."

Her bed felt like it was made of ice. A cold wind blew over her; she must have left the window open before she went to sleep. Shivering, she tried to pull the covers over her head but her hand wouldn't move.

"Still not awake? You must be a deep sleeper or something, Freckles."

"Five more minutes Chizu-nee…"

"Geez, you really are troublesome. Where do you think you are, in a warm hotel room? Well, you're not. You're sleeping on a bed of dirt with a pillow made of grass."

Natsumi rolled over and opened her eyes.

She stared. Green eyes stared back.

"Gyaaaah!" Natsumi exclaimed. She scrambled, frantically backing away from the unfamiliar face that had hung inches from her own. When she finally stopped, she was a good distance away, on her feet with a tree against her back. "Who-Who are you?"

The boy sprang up from his crouch, completely unperturbed, and bowed low, answering, "Koremitsu, Keeper of the Green Whatever-You-Call-It Bean, at your service."

Natsumi let the words sink in.

"Wait, what?"

"I said, Keeper of the Green…" he tried to repeat, but Natsumi cut him off.

"Please tell me you're not some sort of thief!"

The fact that he rolled his eyes at her didn't help her internal panic a tiny bit.

"All right," the boy answered easily, "I'm not."

"Thenwhat are you?"

"Oh, I don't know," he mused, placing his hands on his hips, "something related to attacking you and eating your soul? Oh, but my name really is Koremitsu. Kinda…"

Natsumi didn't reply. Instead, she slid down to the ground, limp.

"Hey, don't faint on me again Freckles!" the boy exclaimed in what Natsumi didn't feel like believing was genuine worry. After all, he sauntered over to her, sauntered!

At the base of the tree, Natsumi whimpered into her hands, "Don't call me that!"

"How about Mousey then?"

"That's even worse!" Natsumi cried, trying in vain to hide both her face and her hair with her arms.

"H-Hey, don't cry. I didn't mean it, honest!"

Her ears perked at that. There was something about the tone of his voice. She didn't want to believe it but the boy, strangely, seemed to be seriously concerned about her.

So, slowly, cautiously, she looked up and asked, "Do you really mean that?"

"Yes, absolutely! Please forgive me, stunning, beautiful lady, who is also whatever flatters you!"

"You're overdoing it a little," she frowned, but to her chagrin, a hesitant smile forced its way to her lips.

He waited eagerly, expecting her to say something more.

With a sigh, she muttered, "Yeah, yeah, I forgive you, whoever you really are."

"Oh, thank you," Koremitsu shouted to the heavens with all the fervor of someone who had just survived a harrowing encounter with death.

With a groan more for show than out of sincerity, she shook her head at the boy's antics and pushed herself off the ground… Or, to be more exact, she tried to push herself off the ground.

She groaned again, this time in frustration, sprawled on the ground and shut her eyes tiredly. Though she felt significantly better than when her knees had given way, her legs still refused to support her weight.

From behind her eyelids, Natsumi could sense the moonlight bathing the clearing in soft light, a gentle reminder of what time it was.

They're probably worrying frantically right now…

With a sigh, Natsumi opened her eyes, only to find a large shadow stopped only inches from her face.

"Huh?" she blinked and looked up.

With an outstretched hand, the boy stood smiling warmly down at her.

"Th-Thanks," Natsumi flushed. Taking the hand, she let herself be pulled up by the boy. Carefully, she stood fully upright, balanced, though her legs still felt numb.

"You're very much welcome, my lady," he beamed in reply.

He's not that bad after all, she thought with more than a little doubt, but took it as the truth. He's a little… different, maybe, but not that bad.

Pointedly, Natsumi ignored the voice that nagged at her. She didn't want to admit that she had probably jumped to conclusions and still knew nothing more about him than his name. Still, something deep within her urged her to trust him.

Of course, she didn't trust herself all that much at the moment, but she had to do something, start somewhere.

"So… uh, Koremitsu-san," Natsumi ventured cautiously. "Where are you from and uh… how did you get here?"

"Oh, well," he shrugged, "I've been around so many places, here and there, that I guess you could say I don't really have a home. As for how I got here, it must have been you."

"M-Me?" Natsumi stammered.

Didn't expect that.

"Yeah, I like to think that I exist to make pretty girls like you happy."

"Pretty?" Natsumi blushed. Quickly, she looked down at the ground to hide her face. "I'm not pretty… I have freckles, and messy hair, and I look like I'm still in middle school…" she muttered.

"Your freckles are charming and your hair doesn't look messy, it looks natural. As for looking like a middle school student, if you would kindly point me in the direction of said middle school, then I just might be able to die a happy man!"

Natsumi could only gape at him. It was all she could do to keep from slapping herself. How was it possible that someone could find turn every sentence a person said into blatant flattery?

Not that it was that bad a thing; she knew she wasn't cursed with bad looks, but to think Koremitsu still had all that much to say… It was shocking.

As if he hadn't said anything out of the ordinary – and it seemed to her that was exactly how he felt - he looked up at the sky and cupped his chin with a hand. "So, you still have this kind of school system in this world?" he mused as if pondering some hidden meaning in life, as if she wasn't right next to him.

Wait a minute, she frowned, wondering: What do you mean by, this world?

So she asked him what he meant, long convinced that though there was something abnormal about the boy, it wouldn't hurt to ask some questions.

To her immense disappointment and more than a little bit of anger, he didn't respond. Instead, he continued staring at the sky. Natsumi wasn't sure if he either hadn't heard her or didn't want to answer the question, but either way, she couldn't bring herself to ask again.

The silence that had settled between them was tranquil, peaceful even. A slow wind blew through the trees, rustling their leaves as if they were small wind chimes.

Far-off clouds danced to the soft song. They flowed across the sky, covering and uncovering the moon little by little so that the two youths were covered with a mosaic of light.

For some strange reason, Natsumi felt completely at peace. She was sure that she could have just sat down and fallen asleep if she so wished, despite the other boy's presence…

Suddenly, Natsumi's head snapped up from her chest. "Did I fall asleep?" she muttered to herself groggily.

"Ah, I guess it wouldn't hurt!"

The sudden words made Natsumi jump. Wildly, her head whipped around in search of the source.

Suddenly, her head froze in place, locked towards where two glowing emerald orbs stared at her from the forest. Fear froze her in her place.

"K-Koremitsu…?" she ventured, but whatever it was, it didn't respond.

It took a few seconds before Natsumi's eyes could pick out a pair of baggy cargo pants and a plain pine green t-shirt. It was indeed Koremitsu.

With a sigh of relief, she looked back up, back at the boy's eyes, and found them not as intimidating as before. Sure, they still glowed, but Natsumi thought it was a warm, bright, and vibrant sort of glow, but although she thought that way, she was still unnerved to be the subject of that stare.

"What," she growled, but he didn't answer; he didn't do anything other than stand there and stared at her.

She blushed, and thought, There's nothing on my face, right?

"What are you looking at?" she tried to say, but her voice broke midway. Instead of a complete sentence, what came out was a mangled "W-What… looking at…?"

Unexpectedly, the silence ended abruptly with a sudden bout of laughter.

"Hahahaha!" Koremitsu sniggered, trying to hold in his mirth in but failing miserably.

Certain that she was the subject of his laughter, Natsumi flushed. "What are you laughing at?" she demanded.

"You!" he cackled.

Natsumi flushed again, but this time out of anger. Her voice was devoid of all emotion when she glared, "And what's so funny about me?"

"You're just too cute, Freckles!" Koremitsu wiped his eyes. "Really now, isn't there a way for you to not rob me of my purpose in life? If you keep on blushing, I'm afraid I'm going to have to marry you!"

Natsumi's anger reverted immediately back to embarrassment.

"Hey, no need to hide it, Freckles," he grinned when she ducked her head under her arms. "Marrying you isn't that bad of a prospect after all."

"Why are you doing this to me?" she groaned.

Koremitsu crossed his arms and cocked his head. "Would you prefer I do something else to you?"

Stunned, Natsumi could only splutter, "You're a pervert!"

"Hey, it was an honest question!" Koremitsu defended himself.

Natsumi shook her head angrily. "There's nothing honest about that!" When the boy tried to reply, she spun around and ran through the trees.

And to think that I thought he wasn't such a bad person after all! Natsumi raged inwardly.

"Hey, wait…" Koremitsu called after her, but she was long gone. He stared at the empty clearing with a faint smile and looked to the sky for answers. "Now what am I going to do…?" he asked, but the sky held nothing but a watery rebuke.

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"Where were you?" the Authority demanded the moment Natsumi walked through the door.

"Class President…" Natsumi stammered. "I just took a walk and…"

Ayaka strode towards her, arms crossed with tightly controlled rage. "You've been gone for at least an hour, and haven't I told you to call me by my name a million times by now?"

"Y-Yeah, sorry," Natsumi hung her head.

It's kind of hard not to when you're in 'authority mode' though, she added silently.

"Ah, give Natsumi-nee-chan a break," Kotaro called from the living room. "She probably had a good reason."

Thank you, Kotaro-kun! Natsumi crowed inwardly as Ayaka strode back into the living room, standing just a little bit taller. The heiress had a habit of haughtily staring down her nose at others when she argued. It didn't help her victims that she was so tall.

Her happiness was short lived however as it met the edge of a butcher's knife when Kotaro added, "She just probably got lost somewhere and couldn't find her way back. My sister's hopeless if you haven't noticed by now."

Natsumi stomped into the kitchen, muttering under her breath, "I'm going to kill him one of these days…"

"Natsumi-chan?" a voice greeted her as she crossed the threshold. It was gentle by far in comparison with Ayaka's anger-laced scorn and Kotaro's boyish lack of tact.

"Chizu-nee, I'm sorry," Natsumi apologized with a bow to the other resident of their dormitory room, "I'll get to washing right away…"

"No, it's all right, Natsumi-chan," Chizuru replied, holding up a clean plate in one hand and a dish rag in the other. "I finished it for you. I figured that you really should get to bed soon anyways, it's getting late."

Natsumi was touched but Chizuru's remark just added fuel to her irritation. "I'm not a little kid," she stated firmly, but Chizuru wasn't listening.

"Off to bed, ma petite, off to bed," the other girl smiled benignly before walking past her. The lights switched off as Chizuru exited the kitchen leaving her friend alone in the silent kitchen.

In the dark, Natsumi clenched her hands.

"Why does everyone treat me like a kid? I'm not childish at all!" she grumbled. **"I wish they'd see me as, not a child, but someone more mature!"**

Suddenly, a brilliant light filled the dark kitchen. Natsumi gasped at the ethereal, green glow that surrounded her and realized with a start that it came from her jacket.

Tentatively, she reached a hand into the pocket where her fingers met small and hard. Cringing, she quickly pulled out the object and brought it before her eyes.

It's the bean from before! Natsumi made out its round shape. But when did I pick it up?

Her pondering was interrupted by a sudden prick of pain in her finger. In response, she dropped the glowing bean and clutched her hand to her chest. Through a few unconscious tears, Natsumi saw that her skin had been torn and scratched in many places. She hadn't noticed the scratches before because the pain in her finger had taken up her attention – and still did. As if she had accidentally poked herself with a rose's thorn, a small drop of blood formed over her

Life was becoming stranger by the second.

The sudden appearance of Koremitsu had given her a shock, but the strange peacefulness of the forest and the boy's quick wit and charm had distracted her from thinking clearly. Now, she shivered at the thought of the void that she assumed had brought the boy to her world.

He did say something about the 'school system of your world,' didn't he? Natsumi pondered. Dimly, she realized that the bean had stopped its mysterious glowing.

Almost absentmindedly, she bent down to pick up the bean. Without warning, the green oval burst into motion.

It split open with a soft crack. From within, stems grew out with the swiftness of a striking snake. It wound around Natsumi's wrist, forming a perfect circle. As if it wanted to flaunt the night's increasing departure from the norm, leaves popped out from underneath the mesh of stems.

Natsumi was feeling particularly open-minded that night, but this last display of the unnatural proved to be too much for her. She ran into her room, threw the leafy bracelet into the corner, and jumped. She plunged her face into her pillow as she landed on the bed.

Before the springs of the bed had stopped moving, she had already fallen asleep to the light drumming of rainfall.

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Part I - End


	2. Part II

**Disclaimer: **Natsumi Murakami andassociated characters of Mahou Sensei Negima are the property of Ken Akamatsu. Koremitsu is the property of fellow author Serac, creator of The Dreamer and Life in a Bottle, hosted by FF.

- Eternal Longing

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Beep, beep, beep…

The bed felt like it was made of ice. A cold wind blew over her; she must have left the window open before she went to sleep.

Beep, beep, beep…

"Shut up…" she groaned. Rolling to the side, the girl grabbed her pillow and stuffed it over her head. It didn't help. The beeping only seemed to ring louder, faster, and it didn't seem like it was going to cease anytime soon.

Beep, beep, beep …

Shivering, she tried to pull the covers over her head but her hand flopped the wrong way, swatting the noisy alarm clock off of her bedpost and onto the floor where it continued to assault her ears like a little kid's incessant nagging.

Beep, beep, beep …

She opened her eyes a crack, growled at the slivers of light invading the comfortable darkness of her room, got up, and kicked the alarm clock into the wall. It hit the floor with a crash and the noise blessedly ceased.

With a sigh of relief, she fell backwards, back onto her bed, and let merciful sleep take her again.

…beep, beep, beep…

She threw her pillow at it.

**Natsumi and the Emerald Seed**

"Natsumi-chan! Get up! Breakfast is ready!"

A tired moan escaped her lips and she sat up slowly, stiffly but her eyes, glazed though they were as they stared blankly at the wall, held a firm resolution.

It was time to admit that sleep was a one-way train and that it would not be coming back for her any time soon.

Thusly determined, she walked over to pick up the apparently indestructible clock which had stopped ringing an indeterminate amount of time ago, but as she did so, something dark green caught her attention from the corner of her eye.

And she groaned.

Please let it have been a dream.

She raised her head. The bracelet made of tightly wound plant stems was still in the corner where she had tossed it the night before.

Natsumi groaned a second time, but before she could take her displeasure out on her new target, her dorm mates made a second overture at pulling her away from lethargy's grasp.

"Natsumi-chan!" Chizuru called again, followed by two other voices.

"Oi, sleepyhead, get up! Chizu-nee made pancakes today and I don't want to wait for you!"

"It's not lady-like to keep other's waiting, Natsumi-san. It's not gentleman-like to be so selfish either."

"I don't give a…"

"And that's why you fail in life. Negi-sensei, on the other hand..."

"Hey, who are you calling a failure? If you weren't a woman, I'd beat the…"

Natsumi tuned them out. Instead, she got up, yawned, and went about her business as usual.

She went to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, washed her face, got dressed, changed into her school uniform, and made her bed. As an afterthought, she picked up the bracelet and stuffed it into a pocket.

If she met Koremitsu, she would fling it at him.

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It was a bright and beautiful morning with empty skies and…

"Hey, Freckles!"

Natsumi grimaced. Without looking back, she quickened her pace.

"Oi, Mousy, wait up!"

"Do you know him?" Ayaka asked.

Natsumi feigned ignorance. "Oh, was he calling to me?"

"Well, he is pointing at you…" Chizuru offered as an explanation.

"Ahaha… I see," Natsumi said, adding a weak chuckle just in case. Her friends didn't look convinced.

Kotaro cracked his knuckles. "Should I chase him away for you?" he asked.

"I-It's all right," Natsumi refused quickly. "I don't know him; let's just hurry. We're going to miss the train at this pace.

"But my train is over there, so…" Kotaro reminded her abruptly. "I'll take a right turn here. See you later."

"Oh, speaking of which," Ayaka suddenly exclaimed, "I'm turning right as well." Saying so, she grabbed Kotaro by his collar.

"Hey, let me go!" he demanded but no one paid him any attention.

"Why?" Natsumi and Chizuru asked instead.

"Student Council meeting," Ayaka answered simply, "so I'll meet up with you two later. Please kindly tell Negi-sensei where I have gone; he'll understand either way, but please tell him."

"Yes, yes, we know," Natsumi sighed.

"Thank you," Ayaka said and turned away from them, dragging Kotaro behind her.

"Freckles? Don't tell me you're trying to run away from me? Playing 'hard to get' really doesn't help…"

"Uh, Natsumi-chan, are you sure you don't know…?"

"Yes, I'm sure!"

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"Natsumi-chan… Are you really sure you don't know him?"

"Yes, how many times do I have to tell you? I don't know that pervert!"

"You're being a bit quick to judge considering you don't know him."

"W-Well… it's… it's obvious. Why else would he follow us onto a train packed with girls? Just look at what he's doing!"

As he was the only boy on the train, Koremitsu attracted a lot of attention. It made it worse that he took the opportunity to grin charmingly at every single girl packed in the same car. Not that they swooned of course, but many were very blatant about how flattered they were.

"**The next stop is Mahora Academy, Girl's District. Please mind the station gap and alight on the right."**

Natsumi felt a blush creep onto her face as the train made a sharp turn, pressing the passengers of the jam-packed car even closer together.

Suffice it to say, Natsumi ran as soon as the train doors had opened.

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The classroom doors slammed open and Natsumi ran in.

"Safe!" she crowed happily.

Even if he followed me onto the train, he wouldn't follow me into a classroom! Ha!

Natsumi grinned as she walked to her desk. She had won.

"Natsumi-chan, why did you have to run so fast?" Chizuru cried as she stumbled into the classroom.

Natsumi turned to see Chizuru gulping great breaths at the doorway. She felt slightly guilty for making Chizuru chase after her, but telling the truth wasn't an option at that point.

"W-Well, we needed to get here quickly to talk to Negi-sensei, remember?" she tried to excuse herself.

"Talk to me about what?" a voice asked from behind.

Natsumi turned again. "Oh, Negi-sensei!" she exclaimed, dropping her gaze down to her teacher's level. "Good morning!" she bowed.

"Good morning to you, Natsumi-san," Negi replied, bowing as well. "Now, what is this you have to tell me?"

"Oh, Iinchou-san told me to tell you that she'll be late to class. She has a Student Council meeting."

"Ah, that's right; the meeting was today, wasn't it? Thank you very much, Natsumi-san." Negi smiled. Then, addressing the rest of the students who had been steadily filing into the classroom, he said, "Everyone, please take a seat. I'm starting homeroom as soon as the bell rings."

At the cue, the bell rang.

"Well, then, I'm starting homeroom."

A round of chuckles followed the announcement, but the laughter was cut off as the door slammed open again.

"I'm sorry I'm late, sensei," Makie panted. "Morning practice ran a little late."

"That's all right, Makie-san. I haven't taken roll yet so just find your seat."

In reply, the girl beamed him a "Thank you, sensei!" and headed for her chair.

"Ah, Makie-san, please close the door behind you," Negi added, as the girl skipped near the open door.

To herself, Natsumi smiled; all was well.

At least, all would have been well had a certain person not walked in then.

A boy with green eyes and dark brown hair walked through the open door, tipped his head to Negi, and said, "Don't mind me, carry on."

Then, he turned and looked straight at Natsumi. "Hey, Freckles, there you are!" he beamed.

Negi, as well as the rest of the class, froze in shock and the addressed took a deep breath.

"Quit following me! Are you a stalker or something? Get out!"

Silence.

Natsumi clasped a hand to her mouth but the damage had been done. All eyes turned to stare at her. Slowly, she sank back into her chair, head down to hide the deep flush that had possessed her.

Then…

"You tell him girl!"

"Yeah, get out you stalker!"

"Keep him away from Natsumi-chan!"

As her classmates rushed at Koremitsu, the boy exclaimed, "Thank you so much, Freckles. Now I'm going to be burned at the stake by a mob of teenagers!"

"Hold him down!"

"Albeit by a mob of very attractive teenagers, but burned all the same!"

Natsumi ignored Koremitsu's remark as the boy was hauled out of the classroom. Her mind was stuck on other matters.

They listened to me, she shook her head disbelievingly. Why? Usually, they'd just tell me to calm down! They'd try to figure this out without resorting violence.

"Kill him!"

I think…

"Don't let him get away!"

Maybe…

"Off with his head!"

All right, they'd tell me to calm down, and then attack.

"And that!" Koremitsu shouted over the din, "that's my cue to leave."

He made a run for it to the sound of angry screams.

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Lunch was filled with excitement that day.

A special sporting event had gathered together both girls and boys from the sprawling Mahora campus, but as people flocked to the fields, Natsumi sat under an isolated bridge at the bank of a small stream in one of Mahora's vast parks.

For the past few hours it seemed, she had been shuddering nonstop. Wherever she went, it was not enough to evade the gawking of boys and barely concealed whispers of girls. She had felt like a freak walking in a hall where the walls were made of glass and she was alone in the hallway.

So, she had run away to hide.

I wish this day would end… Natsumi sighed as she fiddled with the green bracelet that had grown from yesterday's small bean. She stared at the flowing water before her and pulled her knees closer to her chest and put her head on top of her arms.

Suddenly, footsteps resounded under the arch-shaped bridge, the sounds bouncing off the curved walls of the arch-shaped bridge's underside.

"Natsumi!" someone called out.

In the dark shade, she stiffened. She recognized the voice.

Almost against her will, she turned her head… and there stood Koremitsu in the sunlight, bent down to look at Natsumi. A single line separated them, shadow from the sun, darkness from light.

"What are you doing here?" Natsumi exclaimed in frustration and turned away from him.

"I've been trying to find you the whole day! Why did you run away from me?"

"Because you're a worthless…" Natsumi started, but a second thought stole her attention away from her anger. She turned once again to face Koremitsu and demanded, "How do you know my name?"

Koremitsu crossed his arms and smirked. "I guess this is the time to answer yesterday's question then, right?"

"Yesterday's…?" Natsumi repeated, but Koremitsu talked over her.

"I'm usually not quite so blunt, so please forgive me. In this world, there is magic. Simply put, simply stated, magic exists and I am from another world."

The girl gaped.

"Don't look at me like that, I'm serious!" Koremitsu exclaimed.

Natsumi shook her head. "Magic? How can that be? There's no way you can be telling the truth."

The boy eyed her hands slyly. "Your new bracelet tells me otherwise," he remarked.

"B-But…" Natsumi stammered, hiding the bracelet in a pocket.

Koremitsu shrugged and sighed. "All right, then will you please explain how and why your wish was granted?"

Natsumi tilted her head. Slowly, she said, "My wish? I didn't wish for anything."

"Exactly twenty minutes after you left yesterday night, you said: **'I wish they'd see me as, not a child, but someone more mature!'**"

It took a second before the words settled in. Then, Natsumi exclaimed, "But I didn't mean it that way! If you had told me earlier I wouldn't have said that!"

Koremitsu shrugged again. "If you had stayed a little longer I would have told you, but you ran."

"Well, you were…" Natsumi trailed off. There was no way she was going to put it into words.

"That's just the way I am, woman! If I changed for everyone who didn't like me...well, I'd probably still be like this…"

She stared. "Huh?"

"But that's not the point," he continued. "The point is that magic exists, I was brought here by it from another world as the guardian of that bean you picked up, and to tell you that the bean grants three wishes."

"Three… wishes…" Natsumi repeated. "And what happens after that?"

"Then, everything disappears: the bean, what you wished for, and your memories of this whole incident."

"Everything…?" the girl repeated.

"Yes… everything," the boy confirmed.

She was silent.

Then, she asked in a whisper, "Will you disappear too?"

"Yes, and no," Koremitsu replied. Almost nonchalantly, he straightened up and put his hands behind his head so that Natsumi had to scuttle forward in order to see his face. "After your wishes have been used up, I'll be sent to another world that is like yours but a little different where another girl – or boy I guess, but I'd much prefer a girl – will also receive three wishes."

With a small, sad smile, he added softly, "That's how it works, how it always has, and how it always will."

Natsumi looked up, straight at the boy, and slowly said, "Then that means I only have one wish left."

He smirked. "Though I think I already know, I'll ask you 'Why?'. Why do you only have one wish left, Natsumi Murakami?"

"Because," she answered, "I'll use my third wish to set you free."

Koremitsu slowly, sadly, shook his head. "Oh Natsumi, Natsumi, please use that last wish for yourself."

She blinked. "But you…"

The boy shushed her by placing a finger on her lips. "You're not the first one to wish for my freedom, Natsumi. There have been others… many others."

Through her blush she asked, "What… happened to them?"

Koremitsu shrugged. "They couldn't go through with it. In the end, they used their wish for something else."

Natsumi glared, "I'm not as weak as that!"

"Trust me, you'll find that it has nothing to do with strength or weakness. This is a punishment decreed by Fate after all…"

Natsumi's gaze returned to the water. "Still…" she muttered.

"Anyways," Koremitsu started cheerfully, "what are you going to use your second wish on?"

The sudden question caught Natsumi off guard. Almost frantically, she replied, "W-Well, I… I'll use it to free you right now!"

"And then you'll have wasted your third wish. If you wish for my freedom now, then there will be no more keeper for the bean and then you won't be able use your final wish…"

"I don't care. Another's freedom is more important than anything I could wish for! Why are you so against me trying to free you?"

"Because there is no point in it!" Koremitsu shouted.

Silence, complete and oppressing hung between the two.

Slowly, almost apologetically, he explained, "In addition to losing your third wish, you'll become the new keeper against your will and be enslaved for all eternity. But if that's what you want, go ahead."

"Koremitsu…"

The bell rang then. In response, Koremitsu looked up, into the sky, strangely solemn. "It's about time for you to get back to class," he told her softly.

"Ah… right…"

When it was obvious that he wasn't going to say anything more, Natsumi said, "So… I guess I'll, uh, talk to you later."

With nothing more to be said, she got up to leave, brushing off the dust on her school uniform. Sitting under a bridge wasn't the best place to keep clean.

She got up, stooped to avoid hitting the concrete walls, and took a step across the line of shadows.

The moment she stepped out from under the bridge's shadow, Natsumi winced. Her eyes were unaccustomed to the sun's bright light. She had to blink a few times before her eyes cleared.

He only stood and watched, without a word.

Natsumi looked back when she got to the top of the riverbank. Koremitsu waved, but remained silent.

It was only when Natsumi had walked out of sight did she hear his voice say: "Just remember: if you ever get in trouble, don't hesitate to call for me. It'll count as a wish, but your life is more important than a wish that'll disappear anyways."

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"**This is the end, foul demon. Be vanquished by the light!"**

The beast let out one last hiss of pain and slumped to the forest floor, dead.

"And cut! Good job everyone. That's it for today."

Mock cheers came from backstage as the students of Mahora's finest theater class packed away the props. As her classmates cleaned up, Natsumi pulled off the prop crown on her head and quickly headed for the director, expertly weaving through the almost chaotic crowd of people.

"I'm so sorry director," she bowed low as soon as she stood in front of him, "I didn't follow the directions; I didn't follow the script.

Natsumi cringed, waiting for the usual biting remark from the strict adult. Instead, the director smiled and joked, "Eh, I didn't like 'dread demon' that much anyways."

She blinked. "But I…"

"Don't worry about it Natsumi-chan, you were perfect," the director reassured, "right Masa-san?"

The boy next to him, one who Natsumi recognized as an intern, nodded quickly and stammered, "Ye-Yeah… It was very good, Murakami-san."

"You're at that age where it is best to give you some responsibilities," the director told her kindly. "Come now, Masa-san. We need to go finish up some of the paperwork; there's just an endless pile of them these days."

"Ah, right. See you later, Murakami-san."

And then they left, leaving Natsumi standing alone, confused.

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Natsumi left the theater hall with a deep, contemplative frown etched onto her face. Her strides were huge strides as if she wanted to run but was too tired to do so.

…began with Koremitsu, she was thinking. It's all that pervert's fault! I wouldn't be in this mess if he hadn't given me the stupid bean in the first place… Well, I guess he didn't exactly 'give' it to me… but still!

"Stupid mindless flirt," Natsumi grumbled under her breath. So deep was she in her pondering that she didn't even notice when her hands moved to readjust her jacket against a sudden cold wind.

"Hey, kid!"

Natsumi jumped with a start, the interruption halting her as easily as a thick brick wall would have if she had slammed into it face-first.

First, Natsumi realized that she had entered a park. Then, she realized that the place was deserted and completely silent. Next, she realized that it wasn't really deserted as there was a man lounging against an empty fountain. Finally, she realized that he was watching her… watching her.

Oh, and she was hopelessly lost; where in the world was she?

Natsumi hesitantly pointed to herself and asked, "Who, me?"

"Yeah, I'm talking to you!" the man grinned. As far as Natsumi could see from so far away, it wasn't a pleasant grin. She hoped she was wrong. "Come over here for a sec!"

Against her own wishes, she obliged. The dry fountain the man leaned against was also, conveniently enough, the only landmark she knew, the only thing that would be able to point her towards the security of her dorm room.

But as she grew nearer, the man's face also grew clearer in kind, and a sort of familiarity struck her. A few steps more and she could make out three dark lines, a tattooed seven. A gang symbol.

With a feeling of dread, she recognized him, and she didn't like what she recognized. The man was a rather notorious figure on campus. Though his name eluded her, she remembered that he was a member of a gang, a dangerous gang.

"Come on, hurry up!" he demanded, but to his displeasure, she stopped, uncertain which was wiser: to find out what he wanted or to run – but either way would put her near the man.

She was not given the time to make a decision.

Without warning, a hand grabbed her roughly by the wrist, but before much more than a sense of shock could flash through her mind she was already lost.

"He said get over there, didn't he?" a low voice whispered into her ear, warm breath tickling her neck.

She panicked.

Struggling valiantly against her captor with kicks and wild movements, it seemed, for a moment, that she would be free, but a second pair of hands gripped her arms tightly and pinned them against her back while the first pair held her still.

"Hold still, why don't you," the newcomer snarled, crushing her wrists painfully in his iron grasp.

Soon, her frantic flailing turned into whimpering compliance.

Her captors brought her, now submissive, to stand in front of the tattooed man, who crossed his arms and leered at her.

In a mock attempt at an overture, he said, "Why hello, what's your name little girl?"

She said nothing. Either way, she was lost.

Her refusal to answer brought a scowl to the man's face but he smoothly erased it with a self-satisfied grin. A moment passed with him staring at her and with Natsumi feeling oddly blank and surreal. Then, he unfurled his arms and said, "You know, you're not that bad of a looker."

The veiled compliment struck her harshly. "W-What?"

"Well, maybe pretty isn't the right word," he grinned viciously. "'Cute' then, I'll settle for that."

The hands holding her still suddenly tightened in their grips.

"What are you doing?" she exclaimed through a wince. "Get your hands off of…"

A hand slapped her, cutting off her words.

"Now, now, we can't have you struggling, can we?" the man winked before she was thrown into his chest. His arms wrapped around her back, just as strong as the previous pair.

This isn't happening, she chanted in her head as if her will could affect the reality of the situation. This isn't happening, this isn't…

"Hey! Let go of Natsumi-nee-chan you thugs!"

Natsumi struggled to turn her head away. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something, a figure that steadily grew larger, and though she couldn't make out who it was, she recognized the voice and the words.

"Kotaro-kun…?"

Out of sight, one of the men scoffed. "Tch. He's just a…"

Kotaro was upon him before he could even finish his sentence. Natsumi heard the man drop to the ground, retching. A second thud and the man went silent.

The tattooed man let her go suddenly, backing away with a look of horror as if watching a boy take down a much bigger man was not all that he had seen. As if he had witnessed the rise of a demon.

"What just…?" the other man gasped, but as Kotaro turned towards him, eyes dark, body surrounded by a terrible black glow, his voice caught in his throat.

"M-Monster," he choked out and turned tail to run, but it was already too late.

Kotaro grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and flung him into the air, jumping up above him and crushing him back to the ground with his heel. The man hit the ground with a scream of pain which, a moment later, was joined by a fleshy thud as his attacker sank a fist deep into his stomach.

That left only one person.

"H-Hey, guys… are you all right?" he inquired hesitantly, shaken.

Kotaro's smothering black eyes turned on him and he fell to the ground.

Natsumi stayed frozen as he pleaded, "No, please don't hurt me! I won't do anything, just give me mercy!"

The aura of malice had grown, erupting from Kotaro uncontrollably. Natsumi didn't understand what it was but she could feel it. And it frightened her.

"Kotaro-kun, don't!" she cried out as a dark vortex of energy suddenly grew into existence and began swirling around his upheld fist.

Fortunately for his target, the boy complied and lowered his fist, the energy dissipating as quickly as it had appeared.

Kotaro scoffed. "You're lucky. If it wasn't for Natsumi-nee-chan, I'd have hung your dead body somewhere high up for all to see."

The man shuddered and fell back heavily. Natsumi was sure the threat had drained him of all the strength he had possessed. She, herself, was shivering though the day was warm.

Satisfied that the man would not be any more trouble, Kotaro turned towards Natsumi, strolling nonchalantly towards her with hands in his pocket.

"Natsumi-nee-chan, are you all – _Bang!_

He dropped, slowly, eyes widened with surprise. His expression looked like what one would expect to see on a person who had just been shoved off a cliff to fall to his doom at the sharp rocks and crashing waves far down below. Kotaro didn't have that far to fall. He hit the ground heavily and lay still and unmoving.

Natsumi watched with growing horror as bright viscous blood spread out in a pool around the hole in his back and clung to her shoes.

Time ground to a stop…

No… Natsumi shook her head, No, this is part of a play or it's a dream… It must be!

…and moved on without her permission.

Kotaro didn't get up. The blood poured around her, rising like a flood.

And she screamed.

She screamed in horror, shock, and hate directed at a boy who would do this to her, rescue her and then leave her behind, alone. Hate directed at life and how it could make her suffer so much in such a short time.

"Kotaro-kun, get up! No, don't… don't do this to me!"

"Now, now, you really shouldn't hurt other people like that, should you little boy? Let that be a warning of what will happen if you ever mess with my gang members again… that is, if you don't die."

Her blood froze but the rest of her body moved as if it was unaffected. Her head moved of its own accord, and she looked up.

"Tch," the tall man scoffed around his cigarette. He looked down at the tattooed man cowering at his feet, then at his other two unconscious minions. "What are you guys if a little boy can beat you up? Babies?"

The words were lost to Natsumi; her attention was focused entirely elsewhere. The gang leader's hand held a gun, a barrel of cold steel that shot searing fire.

He took another puff of his cigarette and let his gun drop to his side. Natsumi couldn't help but follow its movement down, down to where she could see the rough seven firmly etched onto the back of his hand and the brand next to it: ex-criminal.

Natsumi fell limply to her knees. Hot tears flowed from her eyes, streams of acid that did nothing to ease the chaos that had suddenly stole her life.

"Hey, little girl, what do you think I should do? I have two unconscious men, this guy at my feet who can't even stand, and a dying boy? Even if I move fast, by the time I get all these bodies out of sight, someone will have found me… because you're still alive."

She stiffened.

"What… are you… going to do… to me?" Natsumi managed to choke out, though the tears continued to flow.

"Oh, nothing much really; I guess you'll be an interesting toy until I can get rid of you somewhere."

It was the way the man said it that struck her hard; the words were spoken as easily as if it was an everyday thing to shoot a boy and plan the death of a girl. Natsumi started shuddering and shivering uncontrollably. He leveled the pistol at her head and winked.

"Oh, don't be so afraid; it'll be quick, I promise you. After all, death is a **magical** thing."

Magic…

"**Just remember:** don't move a muscle and you'll be fine."

**-Just remember: if you ever get in trouble, don't hesitate to call for me. It'll count as a wish, but your life is more important than a wish that'll disappear anyways.-**

"Koremitsu!"

A single gunshot followed, resounding, and then all was silence…

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Part II - End


	3. Part III

**Disclaimer:**Natsumi Murakami andassociated characters of Mahou Sensei Negima are the property of Ken Akamatsu. Koremitsu is the property of fellow author Serac, creator of The Dreamer and Life in a Bottle, hosted by FF . net.

- Eternal Longing

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A single gunshot resounded in the still air leaving a morbid emptiness in its wake, and for a second, it was as if the world had gone silent in shock.

Then, the pain started, searing up her leg and it was all Natsumi could do not to scream at the top of her lungs. Instead, she wept uncontrollably, grabbing the hole in her leg and trying her very best to keep calm.

It didn't work.

"Where the heck did you come from?" someone demanded, annoyed.

Natsumi looked up, and then, she saw him through blurry eyes.

"I was one second too late," Koremitsu growled, his eyes glittering as usual though it wasn't mirth they were glittering with this time. "Always just one second too late. Great, I understand the joke oh high and mighty Weaver of Time, as if I didn't the first million or so times." He raised his head to the skies, obscuring his emerald eyes from Natsumi though she really wasn't in the mood to care about what she saw in his eyes.

She was hurt, and she was jumping a very low fence between mindless pain and mindless panicking.

A sharp click interrupted the boys tirade against the heavens and Koremitsu dropped his gaze to the gun leveled at his head.

"What are you yelling about, boy? Are you crazy?"

"Crazy I might be, but crazier I would be if I didn't warn you to put down such dangerous objects, back away slowly, and admit your worthlessness to the one who holds your life in Her hands… and doesn't care."

"You're walking a very fine line between instant death and several bullets aimed at your stomach. I've heard gut wounds take much longer to kill and they hurt several, several times more."

"I take it you're not going to just be a good little boy and leave?"

"That's it. You've angered me enough."

It all passed over Natsumi. She felt dizzy and she didn't like how red stuff leaked out of her leg. Sometimes, she wondered why she bothered thinking, but now, all she could ask herself was why she was there, and why she felt such a sense of distress for the strange boy who even now seemed to disappear before her eyes.

She didn't understand it, but she watched as the gun spat out a bullet which seemed to go right through Koremitsu, but the boy didn't stop moving. The bullet hit a tree with a loud rip but this fact washed over Natsumi.

And she didn't understand it, but she watched as Koremitsu grabbed the gun, ripped it out of the man's hand, and used that motion to grab the back of the man's neck. With an angry roar, the boy slammed the man's face into the ground but this fact washed over Natsumi.

And she didn't understand it, but she watched as the man struggled to get up, to defend himself. Koremitsu didn't let him. He kicked him into the air and kicked him again while the man was still airborne before slamming him back into the ground with his elbow, but this fact washed over Natsumi.

She didn't understand anything that had happened but she didn't need to. It was all over.

Koremitsu came over to where she sat, head swimming with pain, leg throbbing with a feverous heat. She knew what she had seen couldn't have been real. Koremitsu had moved too fast for him to be real; he must be a delusion.

She held on to that thought as he came closer and continued to hold onto it until his cool hands touched her leg. Involuntarily, she jerked backwards from the touch but the action brought forth another fresh wave of pain.

The hands rested on her wound again and strangely, she began to feel better.

When she could once again think, Natsumi grabbed Koremitsu around the waist and sobbed into his shirt, ignoring the fact that her hands were bloodied and that the boy's clothing was relatively clean.

"Hey, hey, down girl, down," he chuckled, pushing her off of him.

"How can you joke at a time like this?" she demanded angrily.

"How? Because that's all I can do."

"That's not all that you can…"

"It's not looking good, little Natsumi," he raised his hand, and immediately the pain came back in a torrential rush of fire.

Quickly, Koremitsu placed his hand back onto Natsumi's leg and the suffering went away. Natsumi went limp, drained of strength.

"What did you do?" she asked weakly.

In response, he raised his hand again but this time, there was no vengeful attack of pain. Koremitsu raised his hand and pointed to her leg where a little wooden tablet lay precariously near the whole.

"It's magic," he gave her a whisper of a smile. "It takes away the pain, but not the damage. Do you understand, little brown mouse with freckles? You have one more wish. Use it."

He reached into her pocket and pulled out the wreath of leaves, nature's bracelet.

"But I need to free you," she fought stubbornly.

"You don't have a choice. You'll die if you don't wish for this all to have never happened, and I'm not going to let you do that."

"What if I wish for it anyways?"

"I can veto your proposal," he smirked. "I am the Keeper of the Green Whatever-You-Call-It-Bean… at your service as always."

Natsumi gave him a faint smile. "I really don't have a choice, do I?"

"No, you don't."

She nodded absentmindedly. "I don't want to forget, Koremitsu. It's been strange, but I don't want to forget."

"No one wants to forget. It's too sad when it happens… but it happens. Friends forget each other even exist, and couples argue and separate, trying to leave everything behind in the past. It's a part of life to live and to forget, there's no denying it."

"It shouldn't have to be this way."

"But it always has been, it still is, and it always will be, because this is Fate we're talking about."

Natsumi looked down. She couldn't meet his eyes.

"I guess…" she muttered.

"Do you understand, Natsumi? Do you truly understand? That amulet can only take away the pain; even now, you're still dying. As is that boy over there."

"You're right, I don't have a choice, but that doesn't mean I wish I did!"

"That's what we call Fate."

His words rang true though she hated him for it. But could she really let Kotaro die, her little brother if not in blood than truly in name? Could she do this to Chizuru who was like a mother to the boy or to Ayaka for all they bickered?

The answer was obvious.

When Natsumi looked up again, she met Koremitsu's blank gaze squarely and said: "I understand."

"I knew you would," he answered softly, sadly.

Then, in a firm and almost melodic tone, he said, "The Keeper of Fate's Emerald demands of you. What is your final wish?"

Natsumi took a deep breath and answered: **"For everything to go back to the way it was, for no one to have been hurt, and…"**

"Your wish has been heard and shall be granted," he interrupted. The world exploded in light. A large circle with strange symbols adorning its center appeared under her feet and she knew she had just run out of time.

Still, she exclaimed, "No wait, I didn't finish! **And I want Koremitsu to be set free!"**

Koremitsu shook his head sadly.

"No!" Natsumi exclaimed as the edges of her vision started to fade and she struggled to keep on her feet as dizziness swept over her. It felt like drowning; it felt like being smothered under blanket on a blazing summer day; it felt… almost peaceful.

Natsumi fought against it with all her might but it was no use. She could hear Koremitsu saying something, but it was a murmur as if he was far away and not only a few feet before her. She struggled to make out his words.

"Didn't I tell you that Fate has a mind of her own?"

"No!"

"It was nice meeting you. It's a time I won't forget, even if you do, even if you forget like all those before you."

"No, Koremitsu!"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Natsumi-chan… Natsumi-chan… Are you all right, Natsumi-chan…?"

"Huh, what?" she groaned, gratefully taking the hand offered to her. With the support steadying her, Natsumi stood up and stared groggily at her roommates – a worried Chizuru, a disapproving Ayaka, and Kotaro who was rolling his eyes.

"Geez, Natsumi-nee-chan, don't go sleeping wherever you want," the boy reprimanded.

Ayaka scoffed. "That, coming from the dog of the family?"

"I'm a wolf! How many times do I have to tell you?"

"Dog, wolf, it's all the same."

"No, it's not!"

Leaving the two to bicker about what it meant to go overboard pretending to be something one obviously could not be, Natsumi shook her head and asked Chizuru, "Ugh, what happened?"

The still worried girl, though obviously a bit relieved that Natsumi was not spewing red liquid, frowned and explained, "We think you tripped and hit your head while washing the dishes. Does anywhere hurt?"

"Other than a headache, I think I'm fine."

"That's good then."

"Yeah."

Impulsively, Natsumi looked out the kitchen window… but there was nothing there.

Without warning, a tear slipped from her eye.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Chizuru asked as Natsumi wiped it away.

"Yeah," she reassured her friend, "I just feel like I'm forgetting something really important. That's all."

"Really? Maybe we should try to figure out how you fell. You're not very clumsy, Natsumi-chan."

"Thanks… but it's not that important. I'd rather sleep."

"Well, I hope you remember."

"Yeah, thanks."

Natsumi let out a sigh as Chizuru turned away and left.

"It's nothing too important… right?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jack Rizeck sat on the cold firmness of nothingness and wondered why the tears fell.

He had seen it happen too many times, garnered too many scars, for it touch him.

Why, then, did the tears fall?

He shook his head and willed the liquid to dissipate, erasing the evidence of his tears with a thought, a nudge from his mind.

How had it all begun?

Ah, that's right. He had killed her. He had slaughtered her viciously and brutally because that was what Fate had wanted and what Fate wanted, Fate got. Fate was absolute… or Fate should have been.

But Fate was not absolute: he was the proof. He had rebelled, and he had won.

With the innocent blood he had spilled he had traveled to another world, one where she was alive. And he had protected her from himself.

Killing himself hadn't been easy. It had taken him ten minutes – the time it had taken him to spill her innocent blood – and he would have gone insane in seeing his own body torn apart by identical hands had he not had a purpose.

He had protected her against Fate's will. He had protected her when she should have died, when he would have killed her, so it was only logical that he should be the one to die in her place.

They came for him, hundreds of thousands of millions of them, each one bearing his face. Each one him yet not him at the same time. None of them had rebelled; they were all well under Fate's oppressive grasp. He was unique in that aspect at least.

But Fate hadn't ended his existence. No, instead, Fate had trapped him in this never-ending prison of fake dreams and fragile realities, ones that didn't and couldn't exist for more than a moment.

And in each one, she died.

It was like playing a game over and over again, knowing what would happen at the end but still trying to find a way to change that which has already been set in stone.

But there was one disadvantage to setting something in stone. You can't change it but you can crack it.

Over time, he got to know her. Through the days meeting her over and over again, introducing himself and assuring her that he was not out to eat her alive, he got to know her. Little by little, minute by minute, he began to understand her, what she liked, what she hated, what made her happy, what made her tick. Over time, he got to know her, but she would never know him.

Despite the folly of the thought, he couldn't help but hope that, maybe one day, he might be set free.

Fate had given him an emerald seed of hope. It was gift given out of malice, a taunt of something just out of reach, but it would be his key out of this endless cycle.

He had transgressed but nothing he did now would change the past. The past affected the future, not the other way around. He would not let the past control him.

So, despite the folly of the thought, he couldn't help but hope that, maybe one day, he might be set free.

He had thought so many times before; he would continue to think so now.

Years had passed, years that had left him behind, alone. But he had hope.

After all, in every world he'd traveled, witnessed, she was always there. And she was always the same, no matter the circumstances. She cared…

Jack sighed and mentally berated himself for falling into useless pondering again.

It was time.

Like all the times before, he looked up as if he knew he was being watched, and said:

"**What one promises does not always come true. What one hopes for does not always work out. Tell me what matters more, the wish or the reasons behind it?"**

The world cracked, and Koremitsu once again stepped out into the darkness.

**-Fin-**


End file.
